Benefits of Push Ups

As you lower your body to the floor and the familiar “burn” begins to encompass your muscles the last thing you’re thinking about is the number of muscles you’re using. However, this is one of the top benefits of pushups. As you engage in this exercise, literally every major muscle in your body is called upon to execute the movement.

One of the most underrated benefits of doing push ups is the stretch it provides to your biceps and back muscles. As you lower yourself to the floor, your back muscles are effectively stretched, and as you push yourself to the starting position your biceps obtain a full stretch. This not only improves your flexibility, which helps prevent injuries, but a well-stretched muscle feature a solid and attractive appearance.

As stated earlier, push ups are classified as a compound exercise as it calls upon multiple muscle groups. When you simultaneously engage large muscle groups, your heart must work harder to deliver oxygen-rich blood to muscle tissue. Ultimately, this activity results in an effective cardiovascular exercise, which supports heart health and promotes the reduction of stored body fat.

Throughout the movements of a push up, you recruit a wide array of primary and stabilizing muscles. The more muscle mass that’s utilized in a strength training exercise, the greater the production and release of a specialized hormone known as HGH, or human growth hormone.

As a young man or woman, your body pumped out large concentrations of this specialized hormone to support the natural growth of your entire body. However, as you age the natural release of HGH declines, which makes building muscle a challenging task for older adults.

Whether you sit at a computer all day or simply ignored the nagging recommendations from your mother or teachers, improper posture can destroy your health and comfort as you age. One of the most common reasons for a lack of proper posture is weak core muscles.

In order to properly hold your shoulders and back, your entire core must be strong enough to support its vertical positions. When push ups are properly executed, the muscles responsible for supporting posture are strengthened and fine-tuned. Moreover, as you regularly engage in push ups, your body will naturally lean toward proper posture. This is one of the most influential passive benefits of push ups.

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